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In this book, we analyze the psycho-social consequences faced by Indian American children after exposure to the school textbook discourse on Hinduism and ancient India. We demonstrate that there is an intimate connection—an almost exact correspondence—between James Mill’s colonial-racist discourse (Mill was the head of the British East India Company) and the current school textbook discourse. This racist discourse, camouflaged under the cover of political correctness, produces the same psychological impacts on Indian American children that racism typically causes: shame, inferiority, embarrassment, identity confusion, assimilation, and a phenomenon akin to racelessness, where children dissociate from the traditions and culture of their ancestors.


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Nirayana

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Nirayana literally means ‘neglecting the precession of the equinoxes’.

Equinox Definition[edit]

An equinox is the point where the sun crosses the plane of the earth’s equator. There are two equinoxes:

  1. The vernal equinox on March 21
  2. The autumnal equinox on September 22

On these two days, the length or the duration of the day and the night are exactly equal.

Nirayana Defintion[edit]

In the traditional calendars called ‘paṅcāṅgas’, the precession of the equinoxes due to the wobbling movement of the earth is not taken into account. Hence this system of calculation is known as nirayana whereas, if taken into account, it is called śāyana.

Calculation of Nirayana[edit]

Though the actual date of the vernal equinox at present is 21st March, it is considered as 13th April ignoring the precession. In order to remove this anomaly, the National Calendar[1] was adopted in 1957. March 22 was reckoned as the 1st Caitra-Śaka era 1879. The duration of the year adopted for calculations taking the ayana or precession into account was 365.2422 days.


References[edit]

  1. ↑ It was recommended by the Calendar Reform Committee.
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

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